A few days ago, Forbes published an article proclaiming that most celebrities’ Halloween costumes this year have been “low-effort.” But these Asian and Asian diaspora stars below prove that you can find a lot of fun celebrity Halloween outfits if you know where to look. While some publications have acknowledged a few of their scary season ensembles, like Thai K-Pop star Lisa’s Golden Siren costume and KATSEYE dressing up as Mariah Carey’s different eras, here are some other cool looks from Asian and Asian diaspora celebrities that you might have missed.
NMIXX as the Saja Boys
There’s been no shortage of K-Pop Demon Hunters costumes all month, but K-Pop girl group NMIXX earn extra points for actually blocking “Golden,” Huntrix’s grand piece from the film, on South Korea’s Melon Top 100. On 20 October, “Blue Valentine,” the title track on the quintet’s fantastic new album, overtook “Golden” as the chart’s number one song. The Saja Boys would be proud.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Puss in Boots
The Tamil-Canadian beauty looked purr-fect as Puss in Boots, whiskers and all. Ramakrishnan’s copper hair, an homage to the iconic swashbuckling cat’s orange fur, beautifully complemented her glowing brown skin. Aside from being an actress, the Freakier Friday star is also known for being a cosplayer and gaming content creator.
Maloi Ricalde as Coraline Jones
Maloi Ricalde reinforced her status as a Gen Z style icon with her clever Halloween costume. She dressed up as Coraline Jones, the titular protagonist of the animated horror film Coraline (2009). Maloi evoked the film’s iconic buttons-for-eyes imagery using a pair of sunglasses with white button-like dots. Wearing stylish glasses is one of the many trends that Maloi has set in the Philippines. The BINI member’s individual branding colour is yellow too, much like Coraline’s coat.
FirstOne and Tle as Wednesday Addams and the Thing
Thai actor Wannakorn “FirstOne” Reungrat was committed to channelling Wednesday Addams’ deadpan iciness, specifically Jenna Ortega’s take on the classic character in the Netflix programme Wednesday. His boys’ love onscreen partner Matimun “Tle” Sreeboonrueang was equally dedicated, obscuring most of his body to portray the Thing, the living disembodied hand.
Say Now as the Powerpuff Girls
Surprisingly, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a good Powerpuff Girls ensemble from our favourite celebrities. British girl group Say Now were the perfect trio to revive the Halloween staple, with Filipino member Ysabelle Angeli as Bubbles, Madeleine Haynes as Blossom, and Amelia Onuorah as Buttercup. The pop stars kept their outfits pretty faithful to the original costumes, wearing simple colour-coded dresses with the black belts in the middle, socks, and corresponding wigs.
Koikawa Ria as Taurus Aldebaran
J-Pop idol Koikawa Ria is all about that “go big or go home” mentality. For Halloween, she donned bulky golden armour modelled after Taurus Aldebaran, one of the most powerful knights from the anime franchise Saint Seiya.
VXON as creatures from Filipino myths
P-Pop boy group VXON celebrated the holiday the way Brits traditionally do it, channelling different creatures from their country’s local folklore. Patrick was an amalanhig, a zombie-like creature from Visayan mythology. Sam was a manananggal, a humanoid winged creature that can split its body into half; Franz was a White Lady (long-haired ghost in a white dress); C13 was a tikbalang, a half-horse demon; and Vince was a vampiric aswang. They even performed their pop-rock song “Tabi Tabi,” the lyrics of which invoke Filipino superstitions, in costume.
Gwen Apuli as a possessed woman
Likewise, P-Pop star Gwen Apuli posted a terrifying photoshoot of herself simply as someone undergoing demonic possession for Halloween. She impressed fans with the reveal that she did the hair and makeup entirely by herself. She even moulded her teeth for the shoot. Outside her singing and dancing duties in BINI, Gwen has made headlines for her makeup artistry, having gone viral for her past transformations like her “Salamin, Salamin” (Mirror, Mirror) challenge and Pennywise look.